Sony’s had trouble keeping wraps on its upcoming Xperia handsets over the past few weeks, and today is no exception. A new leak suggests the Japanese manufacturer could be prepping a low-end device for the global market.

According to the folks over at Mobile-Review, the Xperia J (ST26i) is a budget handset featuring Android 4.0 and a 4-inch display, though the screen is described as offering poor color reproduction, excessive glare and low viewing angles. Sony’s industrial design is also apparent, with the company opting for three capacitive buttons rather than on-screen soft keys.

After being first spotted in the latest Play Store update, Google finally confirmed our suspicions. Google Play gift cards are officially launching in several retail stores across the United States. Initial locations include Target, RadioShack and GameStop. The official page suggests you’ll be able to redeem your codes for apps, music, books, TV shows and movies. However, cards cannot be used for purchases of hardware, in-app subscriptions or accessories. Gift cards will be available in $10, $15, $25 and $50 denominations.

The incredibly popular Plants vs. Zombiesfranchise is set to receive a sequel in 2013, according to PopCap. Earlier today, the game studio announced that the follow up to the original PvZ is slated to launch in “late spring of 2013″. The new game will add an array of fresh features, settings, and situations that are “designed to delight the franchise’s tens of millions of fans around the world.”

Plants vs. Zombies has proven to be one of the most successful games to ever launch on mobile devices. If you haven’t had the luxury of playing, Plants vs. Zombies offers a unique take on the classic tower defense genre. Instead of setting up a wall of cannons or machine guns, you must defend your backyard by using a plethora of plants. Unsurprisingly, the game can become excessively addicting at times, disappearing hours of your day at a time. If you haven’t had the chance to play the original, it’s currently available in the Google Play Store. Either way, you can catch the full press release after the break.

Software updates can be a dreaded nuisance for any smartphone owner, but when carriers openly share information, it tends to make things more bearable. Rogers has decided to take this route by sharing an Android 4.0 update timeline for numerous devices. Included in the list is Samsung’s original Galaxy Tab 10.1 and 8.9, as well as multiple Xperia handsets.

MIUI has proven to be a highly desirable aftermarket firmware among the developer community, and today marks the initial release of Jelly Bean builds for the Galaxy Nexus, Nexus 7 and Nexus S. Currently, the ROMs contain no major bugs, which is good news considering previous Ice Cream Sandwich builds offered less than ideal functionality. The massive changelog offers an in-depth look at the the backend changes that had to be made to support the bump to Android 4.1. Fresh features include a revamped video player UI, a new contact manager and hundreds of optimizations. You can read the official instructions and download your ROM after the break.

Samsung released its first official Galaxy Note 10.1 commercial, and it’s a doozy. The 2-minute plus trailer features James Franco going about his “normal” everyday life, showing how useful the Note 10.1 is for such a busy multitasker. Apparently cooking, pillow fighting, treating illnesses and owning a tiger is all easier with a Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 at your disposal. Be sure to check out the full video after the break.

We’ve already seen Sony’s Xperia SL in the wild, but today the Japanese manufacturer has finally made the elusive smartphone official. An exact release date isn’t announced, though the device is now listed on the company’s official website as “coming soon”. The Xperia SL serves as an updated version of Sony’s Xperia S handset, but don’t let that designation fool you. The SL packs an array of impressive specs, including a 1.7GHz Snapdragon S3 (MSM8260) processor, 4.3-inch screen with 1280 x 720 display and Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. There’s also a front-facing camera for video chat, as well as a 12.1-megapixel rear camera with 16x digital zoom and pulsed LED flash. For those who are concerned with style, Sony has made the Xperia SL available in four unique color variations, including silver, black, pink and white.

Details are still scarce, however, we expect to hear much more about the smartphone at the company’s IFA press conference on Sunday, August 26th. There’s bound to be more devices announced next week, so be sure to stay tuned for the latest news.

While Samsung is still part of an ongoing battle with Apple, Motorola has decided to step up and join the fight. Google’s Motorola Mobility filed a new case with the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) Friday, claiming some features on Apple’s products infringe on it’s patents.

After having it’s entire case against Apple dismissed earlier this summer, Motorola has now requested an import ban on Apple’s iPhone, iPad, iPad touch and Mac computers, claiming infringement on seven of its intellectual properties. Interestingly, the allegedly-infringed features include Apple’s Siri voice-recognition software, as well as e-mail notifications, the music/video player and location reminders.

Yesterday, it was reported that the popular cloud-based gaming hub OnLive had allegedly laid off a majority of its staff and planned to file for bankruptcy. OnLive remained quiet for several hours after the initial rumor became widespread. When asked about the potential folding of the company, OnLive’s director of corporate communications refuted the claim by saying “we don’t respond to rumors, but of course not.”

After reporting a record-breaking quarter for profits, Lenovo isn’t ready to slow down anytime soon. Today, the Chinese company officially unveiled the K860 LePhone, a slightly-bulky powerhouse of a device.

The newest iteration in the LePhone lineup brings a quad-core Exynos 4412 processor, a Mali-400MP GPU, 1GB of RAM and a 5-inch (1280 x 720) display. In addition, users will get a 2-megapixel camera on the front for video chat and an 8-megapixel shooter on the back with support for continuous 100-frame recording and 1080p video. The device will launch with Android 4.0.4 and there’s no word on whether or not we’ll see an update to Jelly Bean in the near future. However, for those worried about battery life, Lenovo has opted to include a beefy 2,250mAh cell to feed the power-hungry K860. There’s still no official word regarding pricing or availability, but we’ll keep you updated.

Colton Kaiser

Born in southern California, Colton is a self-proclaimed tech enthusiast. His first Android handset was the Motorola Backflip, though his passion for technology began when he received his first Windows 95-powered PC for a Christmas present as a child. Dumbfounded by the capabilities of the machine, he discovered an inherent fascination for software and electronics. Colton wrote for numerous news publications before establishing his own popular technology-oriented website. When he's not writing about or playing with the latest gadgets, he enjoys watching football and destroying friends in his fantasy league, preferably while eating Mexican food. Colton currently attends the University of Redlands, where he plans to major in journalism.